The famous Neuschwanstein Castle in the Bavarian town of Hohenschwangau
,
Germany is an idealized version of a medieval castle. It was built in the mid-19th century, by King Ludwig II of Bavaria, whose
odd behavior led to him being called "Mad King Ludwig".
Neuschwanstein is a very popular attraction, in part because it can be
visited as a long day trip from Munich. The Castle is a two-hour
leisurely drive from Munich, through beautiful countryside although many
prefer to visit as a part of an organized tour.
Other travelers incorporate a visit to the castle as part of a tour of Bavaria
focused on the
Romantic Road, which runs from Wurzburg to Fussen. Many of these visitors overnight in Fussen, Schwangau or
Hohenschwangau.
Fussen is a moderate sized city with a number of modest attractions,
although the smaller Schwangau is closer to the castle. Some visitors
prefer Hohenschwangau, the hamlet closest to the castle. Although hotel and
restaurant choices in the small village are limited they are certainly satisfactory.
Hohenschwangau, located near the Austrian Border, is surrounded by
the stunning
mountain scenery of the Bavarian Alps and numerous lakes.
Over one million tourists
visit the town each year to see Neuschwanstein Castle. A lesser number of these visitors are
also attracted to the hamlet's other castle, Schloss Hohenschwangau, built by Maximillian
II. Maximillian's son, King Ludwig
II, later known as "Crazy King Ludwig", commissioned and participated
in the design of the Neuschwanstein Castle. Ludwig's
childhood summers were spent in Schloss Hohenschwangau and his love of
the area was so great that he thought it a fitting site for his "fairy tale"
castle.
Although both castles are open year around, visits to either castle are only
by guided tour. In addition, your ticket will be for a tour offered at
a specific time and allows entry to the castle only at that time. If you have not reserved tickets online, you can
purchase your tickets only at the Hohenschwangau Ticket Center, which is between
the town's north and south parking lots. You are not going to get lost
in Hohenschwangau, as there are very few streets. We recommend you park your
car in
the first lot you encounter. Once parked, follow Alpseestrasse
to the Ticket Center. Alpseestrasse will also lead you to the paths
for both castles.
Booking online has the advantages of being able to reserve your tour time. When the castle is crowded (most of the
spring and summer) booking ahead is a real plus.
Book online at the official online website site for both castles. Even if you reserved ahead of time, you will have to stop at the Ticket Center to pick-up
your tickets. The line for advanced reservations is usually much shorter
than the lines for people who have not made reservations. In addition, you
will have your tour time guaranteed, while those without advanced
reservations may need to wait hours to see the castle. There is a modest fee for
making advanced, online reservations.
Once you have your ticket (or King’s ticket if you will be visiting both
castles), you have a choice of transportation to the castles. By the way,
photography of the interiors of either castle is not allowed. Finally,
be sure to pick up one of the pad maps of the town while at the Ticket
Center. The town is simple to navigate but the map will show you where
the various trails are for the castles, should you choose to walk.
If you would like see more images of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau
Castles, click below for our narrated slide show served by YouTube.
Neuschwanstein, atop a steep, local hill, can be reached by a paved, walking trail (Neuschwanstein Strasse), an unpaved hiking
trail, riding in a horse drawn carriage, or taking a shuttle bus. The castle is
uphill and the walking to the castle takes approximately 45-minutes. The
hiking trail can be negotiated by those in good shape in a little over 30-minutes and is reasonably scenic.
Once you get to the tour, however, you will do much more walking and a
significant amount of stair climbing, so consider this before deciding to
walk up the hill to the castle.
The horse
drawn carriages are very popular and the queue for a ride is usually a long,
slow-moving one. If you are planning to take the carriage
to the Castle, leave plenty of time in your schedule for queuing-up or you
may wait in line so
long that you will miss your tour time. In addition, the romantics among you
should be warned that the carriages seat 12, so this is not a cushy,
snuggling type of carriage ride. The carriage ride requires
a modest fee and takes you along Neuschwanstein Strasse towards the
Castle. The ride does not end at the Castle, but drops you off
with a 5-minute uphill hike required to enter the castle grounds (the castle is approximately 1,000-feet
further along the
path).
The cheapest and easiest way to reach the castle is by coach service (from
the Schlosshotel Lisl) . The bus takes
a different route than the carriages or walkers. From the bus
stop, a paved walkway connects
you to the castle after a 15-minute walk. The best part of this choice is that the
walkway is mainly downhill to the castle, although the last segment is
slightly uphill. The views of the surrounding countryside are beautiful
(see below).
If you take the bus to the Castle and have the time before your scheduled
tour, you might want to walk to the nearby Marien
Bruecke (Mary’s Bridge built by Ludwig’s father Maximillian II).
This iron bridge was originally built to provide a view of the gorge of the
Pollat River, and now presents a
spectacular, panoramic view of Neuschwanstein Castle. Many of the classic pictures that you
see of the Neuschwanstein Castle are taken from this vantage point, so don't
miss it.
If you walked up to the Castle
from town or took the carriage, plan on walking to the Marien Bruecke after you tour of the castle. Although the walk
is mainly uphill from the Castle, you will be able to take the bus
back down to town after you have seen the view. If you want to hike
back to town, there is an unpaved hiking path that starts near the bus stop.
It is a delightful 30-minute walk that will usually get you away from the
crowds.
Neuschwanstein is located on a steep hill and its foundations are
experiencing some “creep. In addition, the building has been
damaged by pollution and its south side is being restored over the next
few years. While the renovation work is a good thing, the photos
you might hope to snap may show a building sheathed in
tarps, at least for a little while longer.
If you walked up to the Castle
from town or took the carriage, plan on walking to the Marien Bruecke after you tour of the castle. Although the walk
is mainly uphill from the Castle, you will be able to take the bus
back down to town after you have seen the view. If you want to hike
back to town, there is an unpaved hiking path that starts near the bus stop.
It is a delightful 30-minute walk that will usually get you away from the
crowds. 
